in scenarios not requiring a comment or response has succeeded in ensuring his or her teams feel empowered. This is particularly valuable at Firework because we’re often working in a field that’s defining itself as we create it. So, the contribution from any and all, across examples such PLG and SLG implementation best practice, demand gen, feedback on pricing structures, product questions or concerns shared by clients that can serve as invaluable in adjusting our processes, etc. It’s communication that’s critical. I tap into having a strong EQ and a desire to share my personal experiences, both positive and negative, with the people I want to inspire. I have no issue admitting a mistake I’ve made, as I believe the humility derived from shared imperfection enables trust. Whether it’s a client, colleague, or investor, I seek to understand the goals, objectives, and values of others, acknowledging that while we may not agree, there’s merit in constantly broadening perspective. I am willing to have difficult discussions with my peers, which at times include heartfelt topics relating to or impacting an individual’s sense of self-worth, character, decision making, or earning capacity. These are instances where empathy is key, while the best leaders are also capable of reminding themselves that the greater good of the company must come first in all respects. Having aspirations as aggressive as Firework’s, these become important assets a leader can tap into when required. Pragmatic experiences in media, technology, commerce, and data, combined with having had amazing Founders as mentors prior to joining Firework, has also been an advantage worth leveraging. My leadership style blends an understanding of commercial growth (obtaining new customers, yielding ARR or media revenue, while growing with existing clients supporting healthy NRR) with operational mechanics core to running a profitable business (efficient net cash burn, aggressively managed Op/CapEx, properly negotiated vendor partnerships with shared upside, etc), and a love of building into those around me. If I were ever to be considered an “A Player” as an Executive, I would quickly cite having only been able to get there by way of surrounding myself with “A+ Players.” I find that immersing myself with talented, spirited peers is far more impactful and rewarding than taking the credit for any given achievement myself, and I have no fear of being overshadowed because I prefer it. I’ve been fortunate to witness some of the best applied leadership principles, as well as what I would consider to be extremely poor leadership demonstrations as well. I believe that maintaining a keen awareness of the examples set by those around us is core to shaping who we become as a leader. To me, the most positive leadership attributes often align with the mission and principles of the company. For this to remain true, a business must maintain core values worthy of replication: Transformative in nature, penchants for elevating and building into people, products, or concepts which support the identified needs of customers, and a demeanor anchored in respect for everyone, regardless of how you may feel they’ve treated you. I also consider myself fortunate to have witnessed examples of poor leadership practices. I believe leadership shortfalls resulting in deeply negative employee sentiment overall as a function of broken culture will impact businesses more holistically in the future, ranking in equal reputation as defined by customers. Poorly aligned core values of founders and leaders, previously most akin to degrading the culture of a company from within, resulting in a high regrettable turnover, will begin to impact its earnings by way of external customer churn. Many enterprise companies, often publicly traded with brand equity to protect and share of wallet to grow, are adding “value-based” criteria to their supply chain partnership assessments. These cultural and employee sentiment scoring systems applied across their partner portfolio will increasingly influence decision making, as in B2B the reputation of one company becomes more transparently impacted by the “company” they keep, - 22 -
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